Through my various Biblical counseling experiences, one of the places I find as common among my sisters is the "Jesus Relationship Struggle" as I like to call it. We find ourselves going to church, Bible studies, community groups, heck even faithfully reading the Bible, yet we can't find that bond...that connection with the Jesus we think we are hotly pursuing. It is almost shocking how common this is.
I once heard a sermon where the preacher talked about how social media these days makes us feel like we can know anyone. We can pretty much follow any celebrity of our choice on Instagram or Facebook. We can know what they do everyday, when they delivered a baby, and even what they ate for dinner. We can read all about them. But in the end, we don't actually know them. We aren't really in a deep relationship with them. We just know a lot about their personal life.
If we aren't careful, this is exactly what our relationship with our Savior can look like. The difference is, unlike those celebrities who have no desire to know us, this Lord of ours actually really wants a relationship with us. He doesn't want us to spend all of our time just reading about Him...He wants us to truly KNOW Him. Now don't hear me wrong, it is still good to learn and read all about Him, but that's not all there is to this relationship. My mom can read all about my life on my blogs and see all the pictures of everything I've been up to, but she wants to talk to me. Following me on social media wouldn't be enough. And the same is true for our Heavenly Father.
Now the question is, how do we grow a relationship with our God who we can only interact with on a spiritual level. I can't pick up my actual phone and give him a call or schedule a coffee date. True...not in the physical sense, but there are so many ways the Lord makes himself known to us. Some of us can feel close to the Lord just in reading His word, but for others it might be a time of praying out loud after reading that scripture or pouring out our heart through worship. For me, I am a journaler. I put pen to paper and lay all my praise and worry and anger and fear and shame all out before Him...and I leave that journal feeling like I just had a heart to heart with my God. And vulnerability fosters relationship, so don't hold back...He already knows your real heart anyway.
What is it for you? What in addition to your Bible reading draws you closer to Him relationally? I totally understand the empty space that many "Christian" ladies can't seem to fill because they are doing all the outward steps, but the inward relationship is lacking. How frustrating it is to think you are doing all the right things and still feel like you aren't getting it. Oh ladies, go find Jesus. Try out a few different prayer methods and open the lines of communication to the One whose conversation matters the most.
